Fluid dispensing mechanism for fluid dispenser

ABSTRACT

A fluid dispensing mechanism used in a fluid dispenser is disclosed, which includes a housing, a pump set formed of a pump body and a piston tube and mounted inside the housing, a valve set formed of a valve tube, a valve stem, a flow guide, a spring, and a steel ball and coupled to the piston tube of the pump set, and a button for pressing by the user to drive the valve set to move the piston tube in the pump body to pump a predetermined amount of fluid soap out of a fluid soap container for output through the valve set for use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fluid dispenser and more particularlyto a fluid dispensing mechanism for use in a fluid dispenser to squeezea fluid out of the fluid dispenser.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

A fluid soap dispenser used in a toilet or bathroom is known to comprisea housing, a flow valve mounted in the bottom side of the housing, and alever pivotally mounted in the bottom side of the housing and coupled tothe flow valve. After installation of a fluid soap container in the topside of the housing, the user can operate the lever to drive the flowvalve, causing a predetermined amount of fluid soap to flow out of thefluid soap container and the flow valve for use.

Conventional fluid soap dispensers using a flow valve commonly have acomplicated structure. Some conventional fluid soap dispensers convertfluid soap into bubbles for output. Some other conventional fluid soapdispensers directly supply fluid soap for use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been accomplished to provide a fluiddispensing mechanism for fluid dispenser, which has a simple structure,and is convenient to use. According to the present invention, the fluiddispensing mechanism comprises a housing, a pump set, a valve set, and abutton. The structure of this fluid dispensing mechanism is simple.After installation of the fluid dispensing mechanism in a fluiddispenser, the user can press the button, causing the valve set tooutput a predetermined amount of fluid soap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a fluid dispensing mechanism according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational assembly view of the fluid dispensing mechanismaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is another elevational view of the fluid dispensing mechanismaccording to the present invention, with the cap disconnected from thebutton.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the fluid dispensing mechanism accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing an operation status of thefluid dispensing mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing another operation status ofthe fluid dispensing mechanism according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1˜4, a fluid dispensing mechanism in accordance withthe present invention comprises a housing 1, a pump set 2, a valve set3, and a button 4.

The housing 1 comprises an upper barrel 11, a lower barrel 12, and a cap13. The upper barrel 11 has a tubular center hub 111 and a peripheralflange 113 extending around the periphery. The center hub 111 has a topopening 112. Further, a gasket ring 114 is provided at the bottom sideof the upper barrel 11. The lower barrel 12 is a hollow member havingthe top side thereof bonded to the bottom wall of the peripheral flange113 of the upper barrel 11, a bottom center through hole 121, and abottom coupling flange 122 downwardly extending from the bottom wallaround the bottom center through hole 121 for the mounting of the cap13.

The pump set 2 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, comprises a pump body 21 and apiston tube 22. The pump body 21 is a hollow member having a forwardlyextending center tube 211 for the mounting of the valve set 3, and avalve port 212 at the top (distal) end of the center tube 211. Thepiston tube 22 has a top piston skirt 221, which has a U-shaped crosssection and is compressible in the pump body 21, a

-shaped gasket 222 mounted on the inside, and a bottom outlet 223. Thepump set 2 is mounted in the housing 1 with the center tube 211 insertedthrough the top opening 112 of the center hub 111 to the outside of theupper barrel 11 of the housing 1. After installation of the pump set 2in the housing 1, the bottom end of the piston tube 22 extends out ofthe bottom side of the housing 1 through the bottom center through hole121 of the lower barrel 12.

The valve set 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, is comprised of a valve tube31, a valve stem 32, a flow guide 33, a spring 34, and a steel ball 35.The valve tube 31 is a double open-end tube having a conical valve port311 formed in the bottom end and a plurality of supporting lugs 312arranged around the periphery. The valve tube 31 is downwardly insertedinto the piston skirt 221 inside the piston tube 22 to force thesupporting lugs 312 against then

-shaped gasket 222 in the piston tube 22. The valve stem 32 is axiallymovably inserted through the valve tube 31, having a barbed front tip321 suspending in the center tube 211 of the pump body 21 and a conicalhead 322 for controlling the passage of the conical valve port 311 ofthe valve tube 31. The flow guide 33 is a double open-end tube mountedinside the pump body 21, having a top rim 331, a plurality oflongitudinal slots 332 spaced around the periphery, and an annularbottom inside flange 333 hooked up with the barbed front tip 321 of thevalve stem 32. The spring 34 is a compression spring vertically sleevedonto the valve stem 32 and the flow guide 33, having the bottom endstopped against the top side of the valve tube 31 and the top endstopped against the top rim 331 of the flow guide 33. The steel ball 35is mounted in the top side of the flow guide 33 corresponding to thevalve port 212 of the pump body 21.

The button 4, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, comprises a tubular shank 41connected to the bottom end of the piston tube 22, a button head 42, atubular neck 45 connected between the tubular shank 41 and the buttonhead 42, a nozzle hole 43 cut through the top and bottom sides of thebutton head 42 at the center in fluid communication with the insidespace of the tubular neck 45 and the tubular shank 41, and a barrel-likeskirt 44 extended from the connection area between the tubular shank 41and the tubular neck 45 and inserted into the bottom center through hole121 of the lower barrel 12 of the housing 1. The user can press thebutton head 42 to move the piston tube 22 axially, driving the valve set3 to suck in and force out a predetermined amount of a fluid, forexample, a liquid detergent.

The aforesaid housing 1, pump set 2, flow-control valve set 3 and button4 are assembled, thereby forming a fluid dispensing mechanism that canbe installed in a fluid dispenser for dispensing a fluid at apredetermined amount each time the button 4 is pressed.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the fluid dispensing mechanism is installedin a fluid dispenser, keeping the neck 45 of the button 4 in engagementwith the dispensing control lever 50, and then a fluid (e.g. a liquiddetergent) container 60 is attached to the housing 1. When the fluiddispenser is not operated as shown in FIG. 5, the spring 34 holds downthe valve tube 31 of the valve set 3, keeping the conical head 322 ofthe valve stem 32 in blocking the valve port 311 of the conical valvetube 31. At this time, the steel ball 35 is kept away from the valveport 212 of the pump body 21, allowing a predetermined amount of thefluid to pass out of the fluid container 60 into the center tube 211 ofthe pump body 21 for further dispensing.

When the user presses the button head 42 to lift the dispensing controllever 50 as shown in FIG. 6, the piston tube 22 of the pump set 2 andthe valve tube 31 of the valve set 3 are synchronously moved upwards tocompress the inside space of the center tube 211 of the pump body 21 andto force the steel ball 35 against the valve port 212, preventing areverse flow of the fluid. During up stroke of the valve tube 31, theconical valve port 311 of the valve tube 31 is opened from the conicalhead 322 of the valve stem 32, allowing the accumulated fluid to flowout of the pump body 21 and the bottom outlet 223 of the piston tube 22to the outside of the button 4 via the nozzle hole 43 for use.

As indicated above, the liquid squeezer of the invention accuratelycontrols the dispensing amount of the fluid. The liquid squeezer has asimple structure that is easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

A prototype of fluid dispensing mechanism has been constructed with thefeatures of FIGS. 1˜6. The fluid dispensing mechanism functions smoothlyto provide all of the features discussed earlier.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described indetail for purposes of illustration, various modifications andenhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention.

1. A fluid dispensing mechanism comprising: a housing; a pump setmounted in said housing, said pump set comprising a pump body and apiston tube, said pump body being a hollow member having a forwardlyextending center tube extending out of said housing for the mounting ofa valve set and a valve port at a top end of said center tube, saidpiston tube having a top piston skirt, which is compressible in saidpump body, and a bottom outlet; a valve set, said valve set comprising avalve tube inserted into said piston tube of said pump set, said valvetube having a conical valve port formed in a bottom end thereof and aplurality of supporting lugs arranged around the periphery thereof, avalve stem axially movably inserted through said valve tube, said valvestem having a barbed front tip suspended in the center tube of said pumpbody and a conical head for controlling the passage of the conical valveport of said valve tube, a flow guide mounted inside said pump body,said flow guide having a top rim, a plurality of longitudinal slotsspaced around the periphery thereof, and an annular bottom inside flangehooked up with the barbed front tip of said valve stem, a spring membervertically sleeved onto said valve stem and said flow guide, said springmember having a bottom end stopped against a top side of said valve tubeand a top end stopped against the top rim of said flow guide, and asteel ball mounted in a top side of said flow guide corresponding to thevalve port of said pump body; and a button for pressing by the user tomove said piston tube axially to further drive said valve set to suck inand force out a predetermined amount of a fluid, said button comprisinga tubular shank connected to a bottom end of said piston tube, saidtubular shank having a bottom nozzle hole for output of the fluidpassing out of said valve set.
 2. The fluid dispensing mechanism asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said housing comprises an upper barrel, alower barrel, and a cap, said upper barrel having a tubular center hub,a peripheral flange extending around the periphery thereof, and a gasketring secured to a bottom side thereof, said center hub having a topopening for the passing of the center tube of said pump body, said lowerbarrel being a hollow member having a top side thereof bonded to abottom wall of the peripheral flange of said upper barrel, a bottomcenter through hole, and a bottom coupling flange downwardly extendingfrom a bottom wall thereof around said bottom center through hole forthe mounting of said cap.
 3. The fluid dispensing mechanism as claimedin claim 1, further comprising a gasket sealed between a bottom end ofsaid piston tube and the lugs of said valve tube.
 4. The fluiddispensing mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said button furthercomprises a button head, a tubular neck connected between said tubularshank and said button head for coupling to a lever in a fluid dispenser,and a barrel-like skirt extended from the connection area between saidtubular shank and said tubular neck and inserted into said housing; saidnozzle hole of said button extends through top and bottom sides of saidbutton head in fluid communication with the inside space of said tubularneck and said tubular shank.